Abstract:

The Gustav S. Petterson and Family collection consists primarily of the scripts of "The College Hour" radio program, which Petterson hosted once a week at the KYSM Radio station in Mankato, Minnesota. The collection also contains personal items from the Petterson family, including photo albums, Gustav's sermon book, and materials related to things happening in Mankato in the 1940s and 1950s.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:

Gustav S. Petterson was born in April 1889 to Norwegian parents. After completing high school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Petterson went to the University of Minnesota, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911 and his Master of Arts in 1912. While in school, Petterson focused on sociology, economics and education for his bachelor's degree and sociology for his master's degree. Petterson was one of a few people to receive the Phi Beta Kappa key when he graduated. After receiving his master's degree, Petterson taught for a year at Dakota Wesleyan University, in Mitchell South Dakota, where he met and married his wife, Grace. The couple had two children, Donna and Neale. Neale was killed during World War II on the beaches of Italy. In 1913, Petterson began his forty-four year career at Mankato State Teachers College. Petterson was the first at Mankato State Teachers College to teach sociology classes, and it was because of him that the department grew. While teaching Sociology in Mankato, Petterson earned the nickname "Socie Pete", which many people knew him as. In 1938, he began directing the "College Hour" at KYSM, which at the end of his run on the air had 1500 shows. This was a weekly show where Petterson talked mostly about books, but also brought in some current events. Petterson retired in 1957, but remained active in the community. Petterson was highly involved in the community and helped establish the Unitarian Fellowship, where he actively participated in the church, where he would also speak. In 1959, Petterson became the museum curator at the Blue Earth County Historical Society. He remained active there until his death in 1965.

This information obtained from the obituaries in the collection and the collection.

Scope and Content:

The Gustav S. Petterson and Family collection consists primarily of the scripts of "The College Hour" radio program, which Petterson hosted once a week at the KYSM Radio station in Mankato, Minnesota. The collection also contains personal items from the Petterson family, including photo albums, Gustav's sermon book, and materials related to things happening in Mankato in the 1940s and 1950s.

This collection is separated into two series: "The College Hour" transcripts and personal items.

"The College Hour" Transcripts: This series contains the transcripts of "The College Hour" radio program on KYSM. The radio show was a weekly program that talked about different books, and often mentioned current events. Petterson often had guests on the show with him, shown in the transcripts. This series ranges from 1938-1952, although a majority of the series is from 1946 to 1948.

Personal Items: This series contains personal photographs that Petterson had including a wedding photo album, a grandchildren photo album, Petterson's sermon book, copies from the Katonian, which show different pictures of Petterson over the years. There is also a book from Anna Wiecking and the dedication of the Mankato High School in 1951.

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions on use of this collection for research purposes. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property and libel laws as they apply.